In the wake of the NYPD's escalating harassment of street cart vendors, Occupy Wall Street (OWS) and the Street Vendor Project have teamed up to create an online donation platform for street vendors who call Liberty Square (aka Zuccotti Park) their home. Through the website, supporters across the country and around the world can view vendor profiles and purchase food to be donated to the People's Kitchen at OWS.

New York City street vendors, as small business entrepreneurs, represent a diverse cross-section of the 99%. Through this platform, vendors will be able to participate in the growing excitement of the OWS movement and contribute to sustaining it.

"City street vendors are no strangers to police harassment and excessive fines," said Sean Bazinski of the Street Vendor Project, which advocates for the city's 10,000 vendors. "Last week the FDNY abruptly seized a generator from a legally-permitted street vendor in Zuccotti Park — that’s just one example of an all-too-common trend of harassment of vendors that hampers their ability to pursue their own livelihood and make an honest living."

The Street Vendor Project (http://streetvendor.org/), part of the non-profit Urban Justice Center, organizes and represents the thousands of people that sell food and merchandise on our city's streets and sidewalks.

104 Comments

To the skeptics: this is a good thing, for everyone in the area. One of the endlessly-repeated right wing lies about OWS is that we somehow hurt local businesses. Supposedly the barricades put in place to pen us in have kept traffic flowing smoothly to local businesses. This is total bullshit - if anyone actually knows the geography of the site, it makes no sense. The pens are put only around Zuccotti Park, which takes up the whole block - the only businesses would be on the alternate sides of each of the streets that surround it. But there aren't really any small businesses there, either (there are a few banks, an apartment building, and one or two chain stores on one side). The only small business owners who have complained about how we've supposedly damaged their businesses are several blocks away (like this guy: http://gothamist.com/2011/11/01/wall_street_restaurant_owner_lays_o.php . While I'm on it, let's look at this, which is a perfect example of right wing BS: on the one hand, we're somehow considered fools by some right wingers because we're not actually on Wall St., and, on the other hand, we're destroying businesses that are on Wall St., which, as they say, we are not actually occupying...).
The only barricades put on other streets still have openings at each of the street corners - which means the only people they're prohibiting from easy access to stores are jaywalkers.

So let me get to the point: the only small businesses that would have been hurt in any way by the Zuccotti Park occupation are street vendors. So here's our chance to help them out (if we were even taking their business away from them in the first place- I eat from them almost every day I'm down there (I'm sure I'll get some right wing nut's blood up by saying I'm getting addicted to Halal chicken... there I go discrediting the movement again...), and I've bought food from the farmer's market, as did the OWS kitchen). If we were hurting the Greenmarket, this is the best way to redress the situation. This initiative may not be part of the larger goals of Occupy, but it doesn't hurt, either, and it's necessary to counter the right-wing BS rhetoric.

Thanks for your explanation.... as someone who IS at OWS regularly!! I knew the claims of hurting businesses had to be bullshit. Of course, the right wingers still will dismiss what you have said (even though you have seen proof of it first hand).

I had thought before OWS started getting accused of ruining business in the area that it actually would INCREASE business.

In that article I posted a link to, you can see the layout. They have the guy who made the complaint posing in front of the park, and you can see how isolated it is from the businesses. I did hear that the Greenmarket had some problems, and I feel bad about that. But I don't exactly know the story, since the person making the complaint posted a link to a page that didn't actually say anything about their being closed down. The first day I went I bought a ton of veggies from them at the recommendation of the Occupy kitchen, though, so I'm not sure what the issue is. I would feel bad if they had been driven out, but this seems to be a reasonable redress to the situation. As for the other businesses, I can't believe at all that there have been problems. The park is so crowded that movement is impossible - there are well over a thousand people passing through there every day, and people are saying that it's hurting business? Give me a break.

yes, utter bullshite. the cafe that claimed to have had to fire 40+ people is on Wall Street, way down, like 6 blocks away from the park... i don't get how they can even suggest that OWS had anything to do with it. If anything, there is more foot traffic(read: customers) down that end by the meetings at the ATrium at 60 Wall. .. the barricades that are in front of the stock exchange have ALWAYS been there to protect the holiness that is them...and the food trucks at the perimeter of Z park are hopping! You are right, it is all the stupid main stream media trying to demonize OWS.

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SAN DIEGO (CBS) — A pair of Southland street cart vendors who were forced to shut down their businesses after “Occupy” protesters vandalized their carts are hoping to get some help from local residents.
KNX 1070?s Tom Reopelle reports a fundraiser in the Gas Lamp district in San Diego on Monday night [11-7] is aimed at helping two vendors get back on their feet.
That group first settled in to the plaza Oct. 7 and set up a tent city which has since twice been taken down by police.
Coffee cart owner Linda Jenson and hot dog cart operators Letty and Pete Soto said they initially provided free food and drink to demonstrators, but when they stopped, the protesters became violent.
And according to one city councilman, bodily fluids were used in the attacks.
“Both carts have had items stolen, have had their covers vandalized with markings and graffiti, as well as one of the carts had urine and blood splattered on it,” said Councilman Carl DeMaio.
The damages will likely require at least a complete cleaning if not a replacement of the cart covers, DeMaio said.
In addition to the attacks, the vendors also said they recently received death threats.
Proceeds from the fundraiser will go directly to help the two business owners.

I can not say enough good things about Urban Justice Center who are the home to street vendor project. They're run by lawyers, I'm confident no donations will go amiss. (I've volunteered time and donated what money I could spare to them over the last five plus years.)

While I support OWS and the message, I also cannot ignore the fact that SOME occupiers are nuts. Look at San Diego... Yes, yes, OWS is not Occupy SanDiego... the point still remains. The vast majority of people will associate the San Diego protesters who bit the hands that literally feed them with OWS. You people need to start condemning actions like that, as well as getting the word out that not only will it not be tolerated, but that you will hand deliver the offenders to Police. It's one thing to protest, it's quite another to spread possibly infectious fluids and not only NOT denounce it, but say absolutely nothing about it... Please fix this, or you will loose your support. I personally would prefer this protest had an impact other than a State of Emergency and then a Dictatorship because the powers that be feel that they can get away with it because the Occupiers are all violent. This of course is not the case, but PERCEPTION is king.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
I've gone to your Street Vendor Donation Site and I note that it is not an https site: the s meaning secure. Perhaps the information posted to the site will become Public. I suggest OWS check into this BEFORE something bad happens in the name of the 99%.
I'm Proud of you all.

I can not say enough good things about Urban Justice Center who are the home to street vendor project. They're run by lawyers, I'm confident no donations will go amiss. (I've volunteered time and donated what money I could spare to them over the last five plus years.) That said, perhaps someone should call them first and alert them to the security concern at the website. I'm sure they could also handle donations over the phone? They are THE BEST.

I worked downtown for years. Zuccotti Park was always a place to sit for lunch with the convenience of vendor carts of delicious food surrounding the park. After business hours it was empty. I visited Liberty Square last Thursday night, and there were vendor carts surrounding the well organized crowd, with lines of patrons. So what is the problem? PS: The lunch patrons during the 80s and early 90s would be smoking up openly at lunchtime before going back to the financial markets. I smelled absolutely nothing last Thurs night other than the tasty food from the carts, and tasty food being passed out inside the park. FU Corporate Lap Dogs!!! ;)

I worked downtown for years. Zuccotti Park was always a place to sit for lunch with the convenience of vendor carts of delicious food surrounding the park. After business hours it was empty. I visited Liberty Square last Thursday night, and there were vendor carts surrounding the well organized crowd, with lines of patrons. So what is the problem? PS: The lunch patrons during the 80s and early 90s would be smoking up openly at lunchtime before going back to the financial markets. I smelled absolutely nothing last Thurs night other than the tasty food from the carts, and tasty food being passed out inside the park. FU Corporate Lap Dogs!!! ;)

hey im here to express my opinion i think this is a waste of time.reasons are is you guys are wasting time, trying to change somthing that will not be change.dont over react because i have the right of expressing my opinion.also you guys are protesting the wrong thing its the fedarl goverment because there bills and polices that screwed up our housing market.for example we use to have to put down 25% on a house but now its 0% and all these people is trying to get houses even though they have no money actuly study what you are doing if you would like to debate about this.

I am a licensed vendor and I know that generators have been outlawed for years, so the seizure was not outside the law. I have seen that the occupation is hurting the souvenir vendors as well as the food vendors. They should move someplace else. Mobility is one of the great things about having a vending business. If things go bad where you work, move some place else. If your business is not thriving, it means you are not needed ,as is the case with food and souvenir vendors at Zuccotti Park. My best to all of them.

Did you know that there is a UK band called " BLAME THE BANKERS" who play a mixture of pop, blues, jazz and Latin? They were formed about six months ago and if in NYC would love to play for you - pass it around.

This is a great idea but more info on the donation page on how it works might be helpful to sway hesitant donors. I mean, does the money go directly to the vendor or to OWS? What's the process by which the donation gets actually converted into a meal? Basically is it corruption proof?

And finally, a Paypal (or other non-credit card) alternative would make it a lot easier for many willing foreign donors, whom don't have a credit card (like me), to support this worthy cause and the movement in general.

They're working on the transparency thing. I know it's frustrating now, but you can be sure of some things. There's no administrative costs at all, since there's no real administration; what few jobs there are to do are volunteer anyway - no waste in that department. Distributions for donations are a bit harder to prove, however, since most of the stuff is bought on the fly. There has been some talk of using the money to set up an infrastructure to link the different Occupies, but that one will have to go before the General Assembly. At least you'll be able to see the decisions directly. But for right now, as you'll see if you click on the rules, most of the money goes straight into food expenses as soon as it comes in; the $300k you hear about all the time isn't being stored anywhere - it seems to have been a number that came up at the first accounting, but it's not saved.

The Greenmarket farmers that have been a staple every Tuesday at Liberty/Zuccotti have been forced out due to a drop in business and because there is no space to set up due to the sprawl of tents in the park.

I'm not a big believer in prefigurative politics and I don't believe that anyone is creating a new society down there, but if you really believe in what you are promoting, these small local farmers should be given some respect and consideration. Thanks.

I agree. The last thing you want to do is push out the local farmers. These are the kind of people who will be very valuable in creating a new sustainable future for our food. Please don't disenfranchise them. Keep up the great work you are all doing. We can change the planet and its now or never.

I support the #ows but wonder what the plans are for all the money that has been donated. Why are we not using it to buy from local vendors and local farmers. This should be a no brainer. Keep moving forward. 99%er

The freeloaders are Goldman Sachs, Citibank, and the rest of the finacial elite who got billions of taxpayers´ money for free in the 08 bailout.

what´s really interesting about this ”free ride”/"freeloader" - debate is that even though the rich, which the right-wing tend to support, are becoming increasingly wealthy by doing less, the right always turn to the poor and working class when they want to give a speech about getting free rides and stealing the friuts of other people´s labor. Citibank first recieved their taxpayer bailout back in the 80s from Reagan and have since that, along with an increasing number of other corporations received an enormous sum of taxmoney. Is that not stealing the friuts of other people´s labor? And what about, let´s say, indonesian facory girls working 12 hours a day for 50 cents an hour at a Nike- factory so that Phil Knight and the rest of them can sell shoes and equipment for huge profits. Is that not getting a free ride?? Why isn´t this theft adressed by the right-wing? The rich, which have become rich mostly by pushing a few buttons at a computer at Wall Street, and/or exploiting workers in the US and all over the world, which isn`t exactly hard work, are being given more and more tax breaks and benefits by politicians, yet the right wing have the balls to criticize sick people for getting their medical bills covered by the government. To put it this way, as long as the wealthy are getting more and more recourses into their hands by doing very little, people should have no right lecturing the working class and poor for asking for welfare programs.

I'am sorry, but even though I support OWS's cause overall I think you guys should feed yourself! Especially knowing what your bank account is although I do not feel donations should be used for food but to rent halls for assemblies (you need to get out of public places that belong to everyone , going to the streets handing out informative flyers, protesting w/o violence and attracting the 99%. Instead you guys are becoming an irritation to the public by blocking doors, ports etc. hurting the 99%.
I am sorry no more money from me. Feed yourself!

Additionally, homeless people including thousands of Americans who have been screwed by this economy that have lost their jobs, homes and lives living or trying to live in "tent cities" are consistently being shut down.
Google
tent cities in america 2011
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/08/11/economic-woes-lead-to-proliferation-tent-cities-nationwide/
See above for my ideas on how to spend the half million that OWS NY has in their bank accounts.
OWS NY is living in public spaces rent free and expect everything to be given to them FREE! Excuse me ...

It is getting really hard to continue my support of a lot of the people in this movement. I was so excited when OWS started and very proud of our young people, but with what I am reading and viewing lately is pushing me away as well as others.

No, it is the majority of the 99% that are brainwashed, but yes, I am becoming disillusioned regarding a lot of the people involved in OWS who have no idea how serious not only the USA, but the world's financial, corruption etc. situation is.

I think the protest is what we make of it because we shape the protest if something isn't working for you try putting out a way to change it. Im trying to push for protesting through finances like buying EFT index funds or convincing a well off person to support the movement. The Index funds are less volatile investment that brings stability to the market and takes the large bonuses out of wall street. Having well off supporters is along the lines of enemy of my enemy way of thinking. Seems Im rambling now sorry my point is we are the 99% if the protest is moving in the wrong direction help direct them onto a different path. Thank you for your insight hearing wisdom of older generation is always good to hear.

@karenpoore: No doubt this is an effort for them to feed themselves. I'm sure there are entrepreneurial port blockers that want to feed themselves. Btw, if you think that blocking the ports hurts the 99%, you do not support the movement. You sound old enough to think long-term. Please.

Oh look the annoying troll is back again. How many times does your account have to be deleted before you realize you are in a place that you don't belong. Are you anti movement dickheads really that bored that you have to come on a site that you don't support and talk shit? Go over to fox news.com shitstain. They will gladly listen to your rhetoric.

Actually, often they are paid to do this. I guess we can file this under the Jay Gould maxim: you can always pay one half of the working class to kill the other half. And if any of the trolls aren't getting paid - seriously, guys, you're clearly not the rugged, self-reliant individualists you'd like to think you are; the other trolls are collecting checks!